I can't stop crying and feel so helpless.  I have a 7 year old spayed bitch who has been on epiphen for 2 years, and doing well on it.  She went to the vet on Tuesday for her booster and annual health check. The vet seemed to be listening to her heart for ages.

He told me that she had a grade 4 heart murmur, and, as he had never found anything before, he was concerned that it had come on so quickly that it wasn't good.  I have a couple of dogs with heart murmurs that have had them for years, and do just fine.  So this is my first experience of a sudden onset case.

He looked very serious about it all, and said that he wanted to re-check her in a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, at 7.30 am yesterday morning she had a bad seizure and looked pretty disorientated.  My dog sitter arrived, I gave her the normal dose of epiphen, and told him to crate her so the other dogs wouldn't pester her.

At lunchtime yesterday he phoned me at work and said that he was worried about her breathing.  I left work to see for myself, and she seemed to find breathing difficult so I jumped in the car and raced off to the veterinary hospital.  She had another fit while I was driving, which left her exhausted, and she had blood coming from the mouth and nose. 

They were fully booked when I arrived, but one vet dropped consults to see my girl.  She had difficulty listening to her heart, as by this time, the breathing was so noisy.  As Gemma was in distress the vet said that she was going to put her on oxygen and would x-ray her chest once she was more settled, so she was admitted for an overnight stay.  I was leaving when I saw the night vet and spoke to him about  Gemma, and felt that she was in good hands.  They actually have a vet that is awake, not asleep in the flat, so I already know that a vet and nurse would be in attendance. 

I had a phone call at 9.20pm and the vet wasn't happy about what he had found, and told me that the heart was very enlarged and there was a lot of fluid.  He asked if I minded them doing an ultrasound, which he was waiting to carry out right then.  Naturally I said go ahead. 

He phoned me at 7.30am this morning to say he wants a heart specialist to do a scan today.  I haven't even asked what it will cost, I will just dust off the credit card.  He said that he feels she will be better at home once this has been done, and she will be on 4 tablets twice a day.  I am waiting for a phone call to say that the heart specialist has seen her.

I am so sorry this is so rambling, and I know that none of you can do anything to help, so I guess I just needed to offload.  Gemma is a lovely girl, and I am gutted.

Feel free to offload as much as you want, you were all there for me when I was going through the awful time with Hamish, and it helped enormously.

She is obviously in the best hands.

Take care and keep us posted. All paws and fingers crossed here. x

Our dogs can break our hearts at times can't they Jean. I am sure we all know how you feel and our best wishes are with you and Gemma at this time. She is in safe hands and getting the best help available. Keep us posted and we will keep everything crossed for you.

Oh no Jean, it is so worrying when this kind of thing happens.  I hope she is back with you soon and her condition managed by the meds.

Oh no :-(  Fingers crossed for good news and sending good thoughts too.

I'm so so sorry Jean, she was doing so well too.
Keeping everything crossed for her x

Sending positive thoughts for you and Gemma. It is so difficult and we feel so helpless but you are doing the best for her.

So sorry to hear that, you must be so worried.

Best wishes to both you and Gemma.

I am so sorry Jean.
Fingers crossed for Gemma and hugs to you. X

I really hope you have some more positive news. My heart goes out to you. I have a 3 year old Bull Terrier with Mitral Valve Displaysia and he has been really ill this week and has been collapsing. It is so heartbreaking and I totally feel you pain. xxxx

Fingers crossed they get her stabilised but what a worrying time x

I'm keeping everything crossed here Jean. I've had two heart dogs and they both looked at death's door many a time but in the end lived many years, so sometimes miracles do happen.  The medication will need time to work, I'd imagine that's the worst problem at the moment, to get the dosage right etc. I shall keep watching for updates and really hope to see some good news soon. xxx

Oh no, how awful for you both.

I hope you get some good news soon and that Gemma is soon back home with you.

Just wanted to say how sorry i am that Gemma is unwell. I will be thinking of you and Gemma and keep everything crossed xx

Oh Jean how awful :( You've given Gemma the best possible care, I hope she is home with you by now and that she is more comfortable. My thoughts are with you both.

So very sad to hear this awful news, thinking of you and sending loads of good wished

I am so sorry to read that Gemma has deteriorated so quickly, here's hoping the speciallist can come up with answers that can be treated with medication.

Sending {{{HUGS}}}and healing vibes your way

So sorry to hear this.  We can so suddenly find ourselves living in a nightmare without warning. I doubt there is a one of us who cannot empathise with the horror of this situation. Sometimes sharing it is the only way we can hope to begin to deal with such an unexpected blow. 

I do hope they can do something for Gemma and that this can be got under control and managed, and all in this household are keeping you in our thoughts.

Oh Jean, I'm so sorry, offload away we all know how it feels to some extent and we all love our dogs so much. I too will be thinking of you and Gemma your vet is doing everything they can, it's totally heartbreaking and all happened so fast. Hoping for the best. xx

So sorry to hear about Gemma. It sounds as though she's in very good hands and you're all doing everything you can.  May her treatment give her a good while longer with you x

Oh no, healing thoughts from me..
I so hope omething positive came about today, and Gemma is comfortable.
(((hugs)))

Karen

So very very sorry, my thoughts are with you both

Fingers and paws crossed here for your girl. It's so awful when they're not well :(

So sorry to hear your news, I hope Gemma is stable under care now and that once the vets check her out thoroughly there is a regime that will work for both of you--thinking about you both and sending hugs and crossed paws xxx

We all know how you feel Jean, it is so hard when these things happen, but Gemma is in good hands, will be thinking of you. Keep us updated.

So sorry to read this - sending healing thoughts your way and wishing Gemma well.

Sending you big hugs and take comfort in the fact that you are doing all that you can for your beautiful Gemma.

One of my boys has had a rough time recently and each time I think his time has come to say goodbye he seems to pick up. All we can ever do is love them and keep them free from pain even if that means putting ourselves through emotional turmoil.

Have a good cry and  try to take comfort in knowing that we all understand what you are going through 

Jean , I really hope Gemma is feeling better. I know how you feel as I had a similar experience with my DDB . Her tummy started to fill with fluid and after being scanned and xrayed her heart had fluid round it and it was abnormally large and mis shaped , and a bad murmur ( can't remember the grade now ) .
We were going to go down the specialist route but our vet tried water tablets , anti biotics , and I think steriods . They didn't hold much hope but after a short while she was a lot better and her heart had somehow returned to normal . I've had her checked three times since and she's fine . To me it was a miracle , I do hope you get a bit of luck like we did .
I will be thinking of you and Gemma .
xxx

Thinking of you and Gemma,

Hugs and hope all goes well

Whew, what a day.  And I can't say how much it helps to have the support from so many of you.  It's really only dog people who truly understand how it feels.  Thank you mates.

Well, I was allowed to pick Gemma up, with loads of instructions and meds.  She had been on oxygen so didn't seem in so much of a panic, but has an awful injury to her right eye, which they assume happened during one of the seizures.  So now I feel wicked not having noticed it!  But I have antibiotic ointment for it now.

They have stuck to my regime for meds, as I always give them myself, I won't leave that for the dog sitter.  So Gemma gets her epiphen at 8am and 8pm.  It does mean that I need to change her mealtimes, as she has to be fed one hour after her drugs are given.  I don't know why.  They have booked her in for all day next Friday, as they want another x-ray, and scan, to see how the meds are doing.  It will be the same heart specialist that did the scan this morning.

She has to take Vetmedin twice a day to help her heart work better.  Also diuretic tablets twice a day, and Fortekor tablets twice a day, also to help her heart.  I haven't even researched them all yet.  I have had to carry her out to the garden for a wee, and leave the rest of the gang inside, as I've been told to keep her quiet, and she is used to racing round with my Border Collie, and they said that's a no, no.  I guess they will review instructions in a week, based on results of the retests.

She has had a normal poo, and has done huge wees when I have taken her out.  However, she is not able to hold her wee, and has soaked the paper through in her crate a couple of times too. It's a 4ft one, so she is able to move around, but I know she will want to play if she is left free with the others.   Although it does seem an awful huge amount of wee to me, she is actually breathing better tonight, so I guess it's meant to happen? 

My only concern has been blood around her vulva - not a big amount, she's spayed, so nothing like a season.  It does show a lot, as she is predominantly white, but I'm wondering if it's blood in her wee?  Perhaps a UTI?  Anyhow, I phoned just before surgery closed at 7pm and asked if a vet could phone me.  I got a call at 7.40 and said that I wasn't in a panic about the amount of blood, but wouldn't want to leave her if she needed antibiotics.  They are booked up in the morning, so have given me an afternoon consult.  I just feel better safe than sorry.

The night vet last night told me that, if they could just get the dose exactly right, it would be a case of waiting for any deterioration.  It didn't sound as if he thought she would make old bones, but I have to try and help her.  I know it won't be cheap, but I can't worry about that now, I just want her to respond to the medication.

Thank you all for your understanding and good wishes.

So glad to read she is home and on the mend.  Well, why would she not be with such a loving, caring owner like you!!
What an awful fright you both must have gotten.
Sending best wishes and healing vibes your way.

Well that's looking a bit more hopeful.
My friends ancient BT is on Vetmedin for his heart, it's given him a whole new lease of life and he's 15 !.
He also pee's loads, her other dog Ted won't even sit beside him because of it lol.
He also has to take his meds before his meal, so i'm guessing it's the vetmedin that needs that.
My cat Polly is on Fortiker, which has made a huge difference to her, she's 18, hopefully with Gemma's age she'll make a full recovery X

Jean. Have just seen the post, so sorry to read your news. Thinking of you both, fingers & paws crossed from all of us here. A good wee hopefully is a good sign, hope all goes well tomorrow, let us know how you get on, Good luck & best wishes.

Glad she is home again.  One of mine is incontinent when recovering from GA/sedation and she is fine the rest of the time, so hopefully it's just the after effects of the sedation. 

Could the blood possibly be from her nose/mouth (or wherever you said it was coming from earlier) and she has licked her lady bits and transferred it to the white fur there?

So happy she is home, and I am sure the both of you are too. I expect the long wee and also not being able to hold it is probably due to the diuretics getting rid of the build up of excess fluid. That will probably sort itself out with time, as the fluid wont be building up over a long period, but will be regularly discharged. 

With any incurable condition there is always a worsening over time, but it could happen over years, as well as over a shorter term. It's one of those unknowns but it can sound as though it's just round the corner, when often it isn't - let's hope it's years for Gemma, it could be once they get her stable.  I've certainly known dogs and people with heart problems manage for years. What did the heart specialist say?

Hope the blood is just incidental.

So glad that things are looking brighter.

Really glad to hear that she is back home.

It sounds as though the diaretics are working, if she is weeing so much. I don't know anything about the blood, but if there is also a lot of wee, maybe the extra liquid is making the blood spread out a lot and appear more than it really is?

Take care and hugs to both of you. I've been there with an adored dog in a slightly similar position, so I do empathise.

Fortekor is used for kidney problems in cats and heart problems in dogs, it increases the blood flow to make kidneys or heart work more effectively.

Continuing to keep fingers crossed here, glad Gemma is at home now. :)

Sending you both good wishes and hope Gemma picks up now that she's home.

So pleased that she is home. :-)

Her eye probably didn't show injury for a few hours, so don't feel bad and you did have other more important worries with her going on.

Sending a {{{hug}}} to Gemma.

Pleased to hear she is home and hope meds get her back on track.

Very pleased to hear she is home, hope she continues to improve. She is a very lucky dog to have you as an owner. Hope you can relax a little more now. Can understand what a worrying time you have had.

Many thanks guys, just an update.

Saw the vet yesterday afternoon, and Gemma had a temperature.  She's had some personal examinations!  The sort we don't like ourselves!  It is a suspected infection, and she is now on antibiotics.  What with the dog on thyroid tablets, and all Gemma's tablets lined up on the kitchen work surface, it looks like I've opened a pharmacy. 

So I am hoping that it will be cleared by the time she goes in for the day next Friday.  She was panting a bit when I got her home, but I did lead walk her, and I'm thinking that she needs to lose more fluid before she exerts herself.  Perhaps I will carry her in next Friday.

However, the vet was really pleased that there was so much wee.  If the scan shows a big reduction, it may well be that the diuretics can be reduced.  Don't want to jump the gun, but she did say that, if they can get the medication just right, it gives many dogs a couple more years of quality life.

I'll let you all know what next Friday brings.  Thank you all for listening.

Sounds like she is on the right side of it now.
Best wishes to you both.

Really hope she is moving in the right direction. Sending positive hugs to you and gemma

So pleased to hear your news of Gemma, fingers & paws crossed for you both. Best wishes, Lacy

just read this post,and Id like to add my love and best wishes to you both.

That's some positive news :) Hope for more on Friday. Keep on doing what you're doing, we're all behind you and Gemma.

>  if they can get the medication just right, it gives many dogs a couple more years of quality life.<br />

That's great to hear. I hope Gemma is a bit more settled and you get some solid good news soon.

Just caught up with this news: it sounds like you've been through the wringer.  Poor you and poor Gemma, but I'm glad to reach the end of the thread to read more positive news for you both :)

Sending love and best wishes xxx